Yu'Vath

"If it does not rot, if it can lie like this here forever...is it truly dead?"

— Savant Preem

The Yu'Vath were an ancient and corrupted alien-empire that inhabited the Calyx Expanse two standard millennia ago, during the Angevin Crusade. These evil xenos were no more than twisted servants of the Warp who built an empire on a foundation of dark sorcery, soul-slavery and daemon worship. For years the Angevin Crusade fought a bloody war against them, slowly pushing them back in the face of massed slave armies and vile Warp-technology. Finally, Saint Drusus himself struck the final blow and ended their domination over the Calyx Expanse. What was left of their worlds and artefacts were destroyed and their locations purged from the Imperial records. Over time their existence was slowly forgotten. Whispers in the Koronus Expanse persist, however, that they were never truly defeated and there are inhabited Yu'Vath worlds still hidden deep within the darkness of the Calixis Sector.

During the time of Angevin Crusade, in the 39th millennium, the Yu’Vath were eliminated from the portion of the galaxy that would later become the Calixis Sector. In spite of this, their wretched taint remains present within the Koronus Expanse. The technology of these ancient creatures and the terrors that they spawned remain a blight and a constant danger. Much of it lays dormant beneath the surface of seemingly serene worlds and scattered among ancient space hulks adrift through the ages. All of these silently wait for some ancient sign or foolish sentient to trigger their activation. Many of these devices seem innocuous as they subtly influence their wielders towards the ways of the Ruinous Powers. Others are blatantly hideous in the way they directly expose victims to the raw power of the warp. Yu’Vath technology represents one of the most blasphemous threats to the strictures of the Adeptus Mechanicus and those who dare to trifle with it risk destruction and utter damnation.

Contents

"From the moment of their first defeat, their will for battle was overcome. When the xenos wretches faced their betters, they knew that their warp-tainted souls would soon face damnation."

— Attributed to Saint Drusus, at the conclusion of the Angevin Crusade

At the dawn of the 39th millennium, the Imperium returned to the Calyx Expanse. The Yu'Vath and their client races represented the most potent xenos opposition active within the region. Their blasphemous technology in concert with their inherent psychic abilities presented a substantial challenge to Imperial efforts to seize control of the region. The Yu'Vath had maintained control of this section of the galaxy for untold millennia, and during this time they had established countless colonies and created or subsumed dozens of other xenos species into their empire. Untold planets already bore the abandoned ruins of ancient Yu'Vath civilisations, even as their expansion continued in every direction throughout the Calyx Expanse. Throughout the region, mankind found evidence of Yu'Vath activity on the vast majority of inhabitable worlds they encountered in the Expanse.

From the first contact, there was little chance of peaceful relations. Yu'Vath technology clearly embraced the warp in ways that were anathema to the Adeptus Mechanicus and the Ecclesiarchy. In place of traditional void shields, many of the xenos vessels incorporated foul devices that functioned by directly interacting with the Immaterium. Loyal servants of the Imperium lost their minds when simply viewing these vessels in combat without a single salvo fired. The histories recount countless unnatural creatures emerging from these devices to spread terror and destruction upon those who opposed them. The Yu'Vath man-portable weapons and even the architectural designs posed comparable threats to the minds and souls of all who interacted with them. The leaders of the Angevin Crusade wisely chose to take swift and decisive action to eliminate this threat from the galaxy.

To this day, it remains unclear just how many of the Yu’Vath were active within the region when the Crusade arrived. The wretched species had attained a high level of decadence as they ruled over their servant races from their blasphemous towers and installations. Reports suggest that every Yu’Vath may have had in excess of a million slaves bound to see to its every need, and some of the corrupt beings clearly had entire worlds devoted to fulfilling their every whim. Their urges were as diverse as their imaginations, but almost all involved harnessing the unstable nature of the warp to incur perversion on a planetary scale.

Reports of their physiology and psychology are fragmentary. Inquisitorial edicts certainly eradicated some of these records, while others were lost to the vagaries of time and the eccentricities of local archival systems. There are no extant reports indicating that any of these wretched xenos were captured alive. There are numerous references to reports compiled by members of the Adeptus Mechanicus Magos Biologis, but none of the actual analyses are known to have survived intact. Fragmentary records indicate that at least three autopsies were performed, but the available data is remarkably inconsistent and uninformative. It may be that none of these studies had access to a complete Yu’Vath corpse or it could be that the available samples were markedly divergent in their anatomy. It is clear that the combination of warp influence and their advanced technology resulted in significant degrees of morphological variance between members of the species. If the available data is any indication, then the Yu’Vath were not necessarily humanoid in structure, but this may have been a direct result of extensive bodily modifications or accidental mutations.

Some members of the Ordo Xenos suspect that the Yu’Vath culture may have been in decline prior to the arrival of humanity in the region. It could be that the ancient race had achieved such a height of decadence that they were no longer capable of sustaining it, even with the assistance of the races they had enslaved. A few members of the Magos Biologis have even gone so far as to suggest that the common genetic markers shared by their client races might actually indicate a commonality of origin. If this were true, then those species might actually be the synthetically engineered descendants of the Yu’Vath rather than unique xenos in their own right.

This logical path begins with the notion that the Yu’Vath must have had a total population that was immeasurably large in order to have established colonies upon so many worlds within the Expanse. However, when the Angevin Crusade overcame their war machines, the number of opposition forces was modest at best. It might also suggest that somewhere beyond the explored reaches of the galaxy, a massive Yu’Vath civilisation yet remains. Given their abilities to manipulate the energies of the warp, they might even have developed facilities within the daemonic realms beyond the borders of reality. If such survivors remain, they might lie in wait to re-establish their empire at the expense of any humans who dare to stand in their path.

The countless Yu’Vath ruins spread throughout the Koronus Expanse also cause concern. The vast majority of these are little more than broken cities buried beneath tonnes of rubble, characterised in part by the Yu’Vath’s architectural preferences. While the styles varied substantially, most of their buildings were constructed of raw stone, crystal, or bonelike ceramics. In the majority of cases, these structures were encapsulated with complex polymeric layers that preserved the construction and may have also played a decorative role. In many instances, these unusual coatings were applied to the structures such that they inscribed complex geometric structures, arcane formulae, or complex and blasphemous pictographs of inhuman iconography. Further, many of these structures seem capable of some degree of self-repair, a feature that makes dating their origins extremely challenging.

The iconography of these sites represents another common reference point to identify their origins. The symbols inscribed are often uneven and asymmetric in their style. Though no known literature has survived the passing of the species, many of their ancient devices also bear such iconography. Rumours suggest that some agents among the Ordo Xenos may be capable of translating these ancient markings. However, the rumours also hold that any who attempt such a translation could lose all semblance of sanity in the process of deciphering the hideous glyphs.

The overall preservation of the complexes varies substantially between various sites and planets. In some instances the structures often seem habitable, while others are little more than buried rubble. The inconsistencies between various discoveries also pose their own mysteries. In some systems with multiple habitable worlds, only a single planet shows signs of Yu’Vath inhabitation. In others, Yu’Vath structures are densely packed upon airless rocks too small to ever have maintained an atmosphere. Due to the unusual technology, dating their creation by traditional methods is seldom accurate. Fortunately, in some cases, the surrounding rock and soil offer a better clue to their age than the basic structures. Of course, this is only true for the oldest of structures, where the underlying planetary elements have shifted due to the passage of time that can only be measured in a geological sense. For those sites that were active up until the arrival of the Angevin Crusade, such reference points are far less common.

A few of the ruins seem to still have some remaining functionality, but the nature of their precise function is uncertain. Some analysts have concluded that they are little more than ancient mines, but others wildly theorise that the arcane devices might be designed to trigger the death of local suns or unravel the materium. It is clear that they draw energy from whatever power is available; the stars, geothermal sources, or even the warp are tapped to keep these complex machines active long after their creators have ceased to live. However, their ultimate purposes remain an unknowable mystery. Legends tell that some of these machines may be haunted—driven to carry their blasphemous xenos message to any who would approach them. Others seem devoted to defend a location against any threat that might appear. Every active port circulates dozens of legends that recount the disasters faced by those who delved too far into an ancient Yu’Vath site.

Beyond planetary surfaces, a handful of ancient Yu’Vath void-stations appear active within the Koronus Expanse. Some are located on rogue asteroids, while others travel adrift in the vast empty spaces between the stars. Legends even hint of stable constructs within the warp far from any mortal civilisation. Through their sophisticated and blasphemous technology, these stations seem to continue to actively pursue the tasks commanded by their long dead masters. Those who dare to intrude face defences engineered by these potent xenos and risk becoming a part of such a station’s debris field.

Xenoarchaeologists that have studied these ruins disagree about their age. This is, in part, due to the unusual materials, but also is due to the lack of any cultural progression throughout the various structures. There are few signs of cultural diversity among a population that clearly spanned an enormous region of the void. Similarly, the technology involved in even the most worn of ruins seems consistent with that found among samples that were inhabited during the time of the Angevin Crusade. Best estimates suggest that the Yu’Vath civilisation may have reached its peak more than a hundred thousand years ago, but it may have been stable for countless ages prior to when the Imperium exterminated the race. Even those samples believed to be the oldest show signs of warp contamination and devoted servant races; it is very possible that far more ancient ruins remain to be discovered.

"There is a corrupt logic present within these artefacts, but to understand it would be to risk corruption of the soul and the mind. The Machine-God has no tolerance for such blasphemies."

— Magos Mortigen Hale, Disciple of Thule

Scattered among the Yu’Vath ruins are artefacts that incorporate their unholy science. To some individuals, these ancient devices are of tremendous value simply due to their rarity and age. Many less-than-scrupulous Explorers willingly exploit this fact by selling the artefacts through the Cold Trade for an enormous profit. Some who engage in this practice have been caught and punished by agents of the Inquisition or the Adeptus Arbites. Others have retired to sedentary lifestyles of peace and wealth within the Calixis Sector. However, the vast majority of those who dared to dabble with these devices have paid for their hubris with damage to their minds, bodies, or lives.

Yu’Vath artefacts are most easily identified based upon their material composition and their iconography. Almost all of these devices are constructed of a crystalline or ceramic material that resembles natural or fossilised bone. These devices often bear twisted and asymmetric symbols that seem to distort and shift under most lighting conditions. The precise reason for this is unclear; some hold it is simply a holographic effect inherently designed into the construction materials. Beyond these basic points of commonality, little more information is available about these devices through legitimate Imperial resources.

The core problem with the authorised study of Yu’Vath technology is that it is inherently anathema to the Adeptus Mechanicus. Only the bravest, most foolhardy, or heretical Tech-Priests dare to trifle with these artefacts. More conservative members of the order choose to keep their distance and advocate that any Yu’Vath creations be contained and buried or destroyed (preferably all three). In instances where such objects are found in the void, their advice typically favours launching the artefacts into the nearest available star.

There are two primary reasons for this attitude. The first is that many of these devices are capable of direct interaction with the Warp. Virtually all of the surviving artefacts rely upon a constant connection to the unnatural realm as their primary source of power; some go a step further and utilise this unholy association in their core function. A few might serve a relatively useful and minor role, such as warning of a presence within the warp or monitoring the nearby warp for any anomalies that might cause difficulties in travel and communications. Others, however, have far more dangerous interactions such as unleashing vast quantities of warp energy in unpredictable patterns, presenting a beacon to warp entities, or even opening a portal to the warp.

The second major blasphemy of Yu’Vath technology is that much of it incorporates synthetically constructed spirits. Unlike the blessed machine spirits that dwell within all sanctified Imperial technology, these entities are unliving creations of the extinct xenos. Those few Tech-Priests who willingly speak of these devices mention that the spirits may be daemonic essences captured from the warp or simply unholy creations that have grown more malicious over the millennia since their creation. The fools who dare to tamper with these artefacts are often influenced by the dark spirits to perform actions that could damn their minds and souls. Some may unwillingly establish a close relationship with the Ruinous Powers, while others might simply destroy themselves and all they hold dear as the devices subsume their minds for their own dark purposes.

These two combined dangers represent a significant threat to even the best-trained members of the Adeptus Mechanicus. For those without such a background, these objects pose an even greater danger. Many of the Yu’Vath artefacts become active the moment that a sentient being approaches. More than one Inquisitorial report begins when a single undisciplined individual acquired and activated such a device without even realising that his mind had already fallen under its influence. In many cases, such artefacts pose an even greater threat aboard a vessel that travels through the warp. It is for this reason that so many Rogue Traders who dabble in the Cold Trade have become lost. These xenotech creations already interact with the warp directly, and some create a portal through a vessel’s protective Gellar Field. In the presence of a warp storm, this pinhole can sometimes offer hostile entities access to the vessel’s interior with predictable results.

Of course, for some individuals, the rewards offered by these potent artefacts more than offset any risks associated with them. Legends tell of Yu’Vath devices that could transport planets through the warp, provide limitless energy, or even extinguish stars. More modest examples are clearly capable of reading and controlling minds or slaying a sentient in countless subtle ways. A single device, if used effectively, could make a person unimaginably rich or save a planet from the brink of starvation or ecological destruction. These blasphemous constructs harness unbelievably potent forces in efficient and effective manners. It is not the devices that pay the price for their use however, it is instead the users who dare to work with the artefacts knowing that it may cost them their souls.

A few Rogue Traders have discovered Yu’Vath vessel components among the space hulks that drift within the Koronus Expanse. While rare, these devices often enhance vessels in ways that are not in keeping with the Imperium’s understanding of science. Voidsmens’ tales include Yu’Vath engines that can allow a vessel to complete a warp transit at shocking speed, travelling from one end of the Expanse to the other in moments. Other stories recount shields that are utterly impenetrable and weapons capable of shearing through a battleship in a single salvo. Yet virtually all of these stories tell of the dark price that the vessels paid for their use. Those craft which were not lost during a warp transit were inevitably soon populated by crews driven mad by the components that had once seemed their salvation. When Imperium technology breaks down it is typically only inconvenient or deadly. When a Yu’Vath component fails, the ship and her crew may suffer fates far worse than mortal death.

A few known Yu’Vath artefacts pose a substantial individual risk in that they graft onto the owner when used. Such devices clearly represent a xenos analogue to cybernetic devices. Imperial cybernetic replacements are typically only installed at the patient’s discretion; most often after a loss of a limb. These unholy creations are capable of completely subsuming a user’s organs when first activated. Astropathic observers have even suggested that just as the artefact merges with the individual’s body, so too does its mind and soul fuse with the wielder’s. Most immediately die during the process, as the devices attempt to interact with neurophysiology that is clearly at odds with their original design. Those who survive the process may be changed as the unholy synthetic spirit attempts to seize control of their body. At least three anecdotal reports indicate cases where what started off as a handheld device eventually completely replaced the user’s body with a bony exoskeleton, devouring the body and the mind to drive it towards a task that had been pre-programmed millennia in the past.

Interestingly, some of these devices seem to physically grow in size and capacity as they are used. Ancient tales suggest that such expansion in capacity comes as they devour the wielder’s soul. Better-documented reports from the Angevin Crusade indicate that this may actually be an inherent part of Yu’Vath manufacturing. Some reports from the time of the Crusade suggest that with sufficient use, some of these artefacts actually produce functionally identical devices. In this way, a critical ship’s component might grow its own replacement part or a device that served a frequent need might be duplicated and spread throughout the Yu’Vath Empire. In spite of these tales, it remains rare to find identical Yu’Vath artefacts. It may be that these duplicates are not as capable of preservation or it may be that over the millennia the original device somehow absorbs them once again. Without confirmation and analysis by Adeptus Mechanicus agents, the Ordo Xenos retains only a limited understanding of those unknowable creations it has seized and destroyed.

A less common hallmark of Yu’Vath technology is that some of their artefacts blatantly display the unholy energies that they wield. While some can channel the warp into a weapon, many radiate its foul essence wildly as they function. Vulgar plumes and arcs of darkly coloured and poorly focused light often form baleful shapes as the devices convert energy into function. This light can play tricks on the eyes and the minds of all who observe it. Some see decay and depravity in all things illuminated by the dark energy. Others simply crave the power that the artefacts represent—and may be driven to attempt to seize such items for their own purposes. None who have seen this power in action can forget it, as merely the sight of such a flow leaves its mark upon the viewer’s soul. Some of the Yu’Vath devices exhibit their sentience in a more direct fashion. A few artefacts are actually independently mobile, travelling across worlds to feed upon minds and souls. Those that encounter these unholy terrors are often utterly devoured. The combination of a spirit propelled by the warp merged with the miracle of Yu’Vath technology poses a threat that is nigh unstoppable for even the bravest of Imperial warriors.

Dark Energy Constructs - Of great danger to the Imperium are the Yu'Vath Dark-Energy Constructs. These are the forgotten weapons of the ancient war that raged across the Koronus Expanse during the time of Saint Drusus and the Angevin Crusade. Of these, the Whisperer (see below) is the most powerful, an alien battleship shaped from Warp energy and dark technology. However, there are others scattered across the system. These include the Dark Lament; a complex Warp energy web that the Yu'Vath would lay over ground or structures to turn the very environment against their attackers and the Void Wasps; Yu'Vath interceptors.

The Resonance - The Resonance is Yu'Vath machinery, though it is much more Warp-sorcery than mechanism. On the world of Scintilla lie the xenos ruins of Designate-228-18. Though Imperial archeotechs have guessed that the structure is xenos in nature, if the truth of its construction were known, it would portend dire consequences. The vaults of Designate-228-18 were constructed by the Yu'Vath , a Warp-worshipping xenos breed whose empire of corrupted human worlds bled the Angevin Crusade for decades. Complexes like these were used to create Hell Worlds--swirling centers of Warp-tides, sustained by foundation-tunnels of human sacrifice and machine-enhanced psyker agony. The Resonance suffuses the rock of lower levels of Scintilla, dormant and invisible to commonplace Imperial technology. In the depths, the Resonance works a slow, insidious effect upon human minds, for in ancient days the Yu'Vath corrupted their human slaves by forcing actions that fragile minds then justified as their own choices. Residents deep within Scintilla's hive cities often begin to suffer hallucinations, false memories, and waking dreams as their minds rationalise what is happening to them. At each stage, the person hallucinates or constructs false memories to explain his actions: orders from superiors; accompanying comrades; that he is following or fleeing something. As the actions become more bizarre, so too do the hallucinations. Talking to others can break the Resonance's immediate hold by showing the afflicted that he is in the grip of hallucination -- but he still will not know that his actions were forced upon him.

Crown of Wonders - These crowns set upon ancient mummies are circlets of black, flexible material, steeped with psy-power and ornamented with curling projections on the outer surface. They are a Radical Inquisitor's prize--and curse, as they slowly twist a psyker's mind. Wonders of the Yu'Vath bubble up within the mind: wise, angelic beings that guide humanity to rightful adulation of the Ruinous Powers and joyous depravity. The lies begin as a whisper, then grow to a blasphemous torment. Soon, the psyker cannot distinguish the visions from his own beliefs.

Shard Spiders - Another construct of the Yu'Vath, these deadly little creatures are fashioned from bruised purple crystal and are about the size of a large dog. With twelve legs and a tiny central body they scuttle about with alarming speed. They also have a set of needle-like mandibles which they can alternatively use to mend broken crystal or plunge into an unwary human's soft flesh.

The Whisperer - In the aftermath of the Angevin Crusade's bloody war with the Yu'Vath, the remnants of these xenos' slave armies and techno-Warp constructs were scattered, broken and dying, across the Koronus Expanse. For the most part, these grim reminders of the alien's dark empire slunk away into the shadowy corners of the void, and were lost from sight forever. However, some were found by those who came after--explorers, treasure hunters and Rogue Traders. TheWhisperer, an ancient, sentient Yu'Vath voidcraft constructed of dark energy, is one such spoil--discovered in a forgotten battlefield between unnamed stars by a Rogue Trader of an unknown dynasty. Unable to return with it to the Calixis Sector (where Imperial powers would have been sure to destroy it), but also believing it too valuable to abandon, the Rogue Trader took it to the newly-founded Svard System and concealed it beneath the rolling cloud layers of the system's gas giant. Here it remained, considered harmless, until such time as a descendant of the original Rogue Trader could return and learn its secrets. Unfortunately, he never did and was lost to the void like so many before him—and so theWhispererwas forgotten. Early in the ninth century of the 41st Millennium, a strange phenomena began to appear among the citizens of the dying Svard System. People were having dreams of a great dark presence--always close by but always unseen--that would whisper into their ear as they slept. No one could remember what this presence was or what it had whispered to them, but the fact that it was afflicting so many people, of all castes, ages and locations, prompted the star system's governing body--the Crystal Council--to begin an investigation based on fears of Warp-sorcery or the emergence of a proscribed cult. Unfortunately, before any real knowledge as to the nature of the dreams was uncovered, the entire system began to suffer acts of terrorism and sabotage. Ordinary citizens began attacking their neighbours and striking at the very infrastructure of the system itself. At first, the council thought this was its fears of a cult confirmed, but as reports flooded in, they could find no plan behind the attacks beyond anarchy and no link between the attackers beyond the fact that most seemed to have dreamed of theWhisperer. Soon there were countless scores of Whisperers -- ordinary citizens turned by the subversive power of the Yu'Vath vessel that was trapped within the gas giant of the Svard System. These Whisperers had become "cannon fodder" for their xenos master and soon existed in the hundreds of thousands. Whisperers are, in essence, citizens of Svard turned to the will of the originalWhisperer. Whisperers are not zombies or automatons, but rather living, breathing, thinking humans that will work together as a well-trained team under the guidance of theWhisperer. They are also very creepy to talk to or even to be near when their true nature is known, for while they can counterfeit emotions and even show fear, they have (in a way) had their souls scooped out and show no humanity or reluctance in the face of the terrifying and the amoral. Whisperers are also not religious fanatics--in fact, they do not worship theWhisperer, or even acknowledge its existence since they just do not think about such things. They are just extensions of the alien construct's will; clever semi-autonomous extensions that can draw on their past skills and memories, but extensions nevertheless. If the agents of the Imperium can manage to find and destroy theWhisperer, those turned by his dark dreams will recover -- although they may never be trusted by their fellow citizens again. The motivation of the Whisperers is simple; fulfill the will of theWhisperer. In essence, they are its puppets and enact its will within the Svard System. The motivation of theWhispereris to repair its wounds and free itself from the gravity well of the gas giant, thus destroying the Svard System, and then to escape into the void to complete its ancient mission of war against the Imperium. To this end, it has spent years dominating the weakest human minds of Svard and using them to supply it with fabricated materials and massive amounts of raw energy. Needless to say, should theWhisperermanage to escape, it would wreak havoc across the Koronus Expanse and the Calixis Sector.

Yu'vath Bone Warden - An ancient Dark-Energy Construct, the Bone Warden is a fell union of Warp-based technology and dark sorcery. They were crafted by the Yu'Vath primarily to act as watchmen and guardians for their void crypts and solar fortresses; and even now, long after their masters have been forgotten, they remain to fulfil their duty. The Bone Warden has no physical form and instead resides in a collective of dead matter--most often corpses or other once-living remains. These corpses are held together by ribbons and arcs of crackling black energy, the air around them charged with constant flashes of midnight electricity and the smell of burning flesh. Acting as a single mass, the corpses form a cloud of grasping, clawing hands and mouths that whirls through the air. The only way to defeat a warden is to destroy its physical state and thus disperse its dark energy field. However, even as its adversaries blast away its fleshy shell, it uses its warp-shard crown--a collection of dark crystalline fragments that orbit its energised core--to claim more physical matter, regenerating its rotting form. For this reason, Bone Wardens are often found in rooms well stocked with the dead -- a ready made supply of material left by their Yu'Vath masters.

An ancient device of the Yu'Vath, the Whisperer was created from dark Warp magics and cold alien technology. Easily a match for most Imperial ships of the line, it also has the power to subvert minds and bend the weak-willed to his cause. In appearance, it is a massive ball of dark, reflective energy several kilometres across. Around it orbits a collection of monolithic rounded crystals, power constantly arcing between them.

The following are some of the few identifiable components for Yu'Vath starships. Yu'Vath voidship components are not powered in ways humans could understand, and do not have space or power requirements. They also cannot be incorporated into human vessels:

Yu'VathGravity Sails - Gravity sails can touch the forces that bind stellar systems together, allowing their ship to move with agility and grace.

Immaterium Energy-Arc - Far worse than the Rupture Cannons, these energy-arcs seem to be generated from the cores of Yu'Vath vessels, and no armour can withstand them.

Void-Skein Rupture Cannon - A strange and terrible abomination of a Macrobattery, little is known about these xenos weapons. They seem to fire munitions through the Warp, with the warheads only emerging into realspace just before they strike their target.